Providing a steady state for cardiac catheterization under anesthesia.

Abstract

Data obtained by cardiac catheterization are especially difficult to interpret if the anesthesia and oxygenation are irregular. A relatively constant level of anesthesia and oxygenation can be maintained by using trichloroethylene. It is a nonflammable liquid that can be given with air by inhalation. It is safe to use in the presence of x-ray equipment. It was used, together with pentobarbital sodium or chloral hydrate, scopolamine, and meperidine, in 78 patients undergoing angiocardiography and 225 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. All of the second group were under 16 years of age. The steadiness of the anesthetic state was measured by observations of the pulse and respiratory rate, ear oximeter readings, and determinations of femoral arterial oxygen saturation and of arterial carbon dioxide tension. The search should be continued for a drug with shorter induction time and less tendency to cause tachypnea and cardiac arrhythmia, but the technique using trichloroethylene satisfies most of the requirements of an ideal anesthetic technique and it did not seriously interfere with the determination of blood gases by conventional methods.